Rugby clubs feel pain of rising rates bills

Bills at two of the top clubs have rocketed by more than 300 per centMat Mingo/Pinnacle

England may have lost against the All Blacks on Saturday, but the country’s top rugby clubs were already reeling, after being hit by a 141 per cent rise in their business rate bills.

Resilient attendance figures in the Aviva Premiership are being offset by average rates bills for 2013-14 of almost £100,000, according to Valuation Office Agency data collated by CVS, the business rate adviser.

Bills at Harlequins and Leicester Tigers, two of the top clubs, have rocketed by more than 300 per cent since 2005-o6, with both clubs paying more than £200,000 this year.

CVS pointed out that the sharp rises in rates contrasted with spectator numbers that have remained consistent at just over 1.6 million per season since 2009-10.